Rafael Furcal suffered a setback when he was close to coming off the disabled list about two weeks ago, but the Dodgers shortstop is once again on the verge of returning from the lower back injury that has sidelined him since August 3.
Furcal is slated to begin a brief minor league rehab assignment today at Triple-A and Dylan Hernandez of the Los Angeles Timesreports that he could be back in the Dodgers’ lineup for the start of Friday’s crucial three-game series against the Giants.
Jamey Carroll has started all but one of the 27 games at shortstop in Furcal’s absence, hitting .318 with a .412 on-base percentage. Depending on the status of Ryan Theriot’s knee injury, manager Joe Torre may look to keep Carroll in the lineup with some action at second base.

Tigers first baseman/DH Miguel Cabrera is being sued by a woman from Orlando, Florida who claims that he “unilaterally” reduced the amount of his monthly child support payments, Tony Paul of The Detroit News reports. Cabrera, who has three children with his wife Rosangel, also had two children with Belkies Mariela Rodriguez in 2013 and 2015.

Cabrera pays more than $6,200 per month in child support and helped Rodriguez purchase a nearly $1 million house. Rodriguez’s attorney calls Cabrera’s monthly payments “inadequate” because her children don’t quite have the same standard of living as Cabrera’s three children with Rosangel. Cabrera’s legal team accused Rodriguez of “embarking on a mission to extort additional moneys to be used for her benefit under the guise of child support.”

Cabrera, 34, signed an eight-year, $248 million contract extension with the Tigers in March 2014, which officially began in 2016. He made $22 million in 2014-15, $28 million in 2016-17, and will earn $30 million from 2018-21 and $32 million in 2022-23.

Along with reduced child support payments, Rodriguez alleges Cabrera left her “high and dry” when it came to monthly expenses with the house he helped her purchase.

Cabrera has requested that the judge recuse herself from his case, as her husband has a title with Rodriguez’s lawyers’ law firm following a merger. He is scheduled to be questioned under oath during a videotaped deposition on Thursday in Orlando. Rodriguez is scheduled for her deposition on Friday.

Cabrera is not the only player to find himself embroiled in such a case. Bartolo Colon was also sued for back child support for a “secret family” last year.